Understanding Dark Circles with White Bumps

Dark circles that form under your eyes along with tiny white bumps are signs that you are suffering from two different conditions that are not related with each other. The tiny white bumps might be milia, tiny cysts that are formed when dead skin cells are trapped in pockets at the base of sweat gland or hair follicle. This condition usually affects infants. According to MayoClinic.com, 50% among babies develop milia, however this can happen to adults also. There are some people who experience dark circles under their eyes and if you experience it together with milia then they may be treated separately as they have different causes. Let us understand dark circles with white bumps.

About Milia

Milia may affect people of all ages and of both sexes. They may even occur on babies and they commonly affect the chin, cheeks and nose. For adults, they are seen on the cheeks and under the eyes, however they may be found on other parts of the body. The tendency is they usually disappear after several months.

Treatment of Milia

According to MayoClinic.com, there is no medical treatment recommended for babies. Just wash the child’s face with water gently and pat it dry. Do not use oils, lotions and medicated creams on babies.

For adults with chronic milia, you must try using mild exfoliator which can be bought over-the-counter but be sure that it is safe to use near the eyes. If your milia do not have improvement after a few weeks, consult your dermatologist. She may then try micro dermabrasion, laser technique or a chemical peel. Sometimes, your dermatologist may puncture each milium and remove the debris using a plugged pore extractor. Don’t attempt to do this by yourself at home as it may cause scarring. Other helpful treatments one can use for the prevention of milia are topical retinoid creams, gels and lotions. There are some medications also that are derived from vitamin A which can be helpful also in the treatment and prevention of milia.

Causes of Dark Circles

Some of the factors that cause dark circles are allergies and congestion and eczema (atopic dermatitis). Lifestyle choices can also cause dark circles like too much drinking of alcohol, poor sleeping habit, stress and smoking. Other factors are irregularities in pigment, thinning of skin and too much exposure under the sun. Large brow and forehead can be mistaken as dark circles also while some people had inherited dark skin pigments under the eyes.

Treatment of Dark Circles

Treatment of dark circles depends on its cause. If the cause is due to allergies or congestion, you must treat the underlying condition to improve dark circles under the eyes. If eczema is the cause which is characterized by itching, redness, swelling of the skin and inflammation, try to avoid skin irritants, allergens or stress as these can trigger the outbreak. Eczema can cause dark circles under the eyes if it affects that area and rubbing can worsen the condition.

In some cases that dark circles arise from lifestyle habits then you can do otherwise. Get good sleep, minimize your alcohol intake, avoid stress and quit smoking. All of these can improve dark circles. If dark circles are due to irregularities of skin pigment, you may consider laser surgery. This is to lighten the skin area under the eyes. Cosmetics can be use also to lighten the dark areas under the eyes.